Let's All Laugh at A&M?
Looks like the SEC has passed on their bid.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6861385/sec-extend-invitat…
August 14th, 2011 at 4:54 PM ^
This is actually really good for us. I feel like if A&M and an ACC team went to the SEC, then the PAC was going to expand (OU, OSU, Tech, and someone). That in turn triggers B10 expansion and maybe another round of SEC expansion. Basically it creates super conferences. This prevents that.
The big picture feeling though was it would be impossible for anyone to remain independent in this scenario. After all everyone was saying superconferences are the only thing that would force ND to join up.
If Texas goes independent I think the B12 might be able to limp along still. If they grabbed TCU from the Big East, they'd end up as a conference that likely has 3-4 teams ranked at the end of the every year and for the most part the status quo would be maintained.
I defnitely don't want to see anyone go above 14 teams.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:57 PM ^
August 14th, 2011 at 5:21 PM ^
August 14th, 2011 at 6:38 PM ^
August 14th, 2011 at 5:43 PM ^
There are ALOT of details to be worked out..they need some time..this changes nothing
August 14th, 2011 at 5:25 PM ^
They certainly have to be feeling it big time today.
August 14th, 2011 at 5:32 PM ^
from that article thats what u took from IT?
read between the lines..."Let us find a suitable 14th give us some time then your IN
August 14th, 2011 at 6:25 PM ^
gotta cover all your bases ;)
August 14th, 2011 at 6:38 PM ^
They hate Texas. They talk about Texas all the time, Texas is their biggest rival, beating Texas is in their school fight song, but the biggest rival of Texas is Oklahoma. I still like A&M. My grandpa went there from Cass Tech and studied radio to be an experimental radar operator for the Pacific Fleet during WW2. This is still funny though.
August 14th, 2011 at 7:16 PM ^
also mentions A&M--"And it's goodbye to A&M".
August 14th, 2011 at 10:32 PM ^
Michigan is ranked #29 academically according to U.S. News and World Reports.
Texas is ranked #45. Texas A&M is #63. Michigan State is #79.
A&M isn't Sparty in all regards, still a pretty decent school, and at least competitive in terms of educational ranking.
Now Michigan State compared with Michigan, on the other hand . . .
August 14th, 2011 at 6:56 PM ^
This is far from over and I would expect that at this time next year we would be on the cusp of 4 super conferences. BigEast/ACC, SEC, Big10, Pac10. ND could definitely jump in on the BEast/Big10 list. It all basically hinges on Texas. Once the Texas pin is pulled the SuperConference grenade is armed.
August 14th, 2011 at 9:19 PM ^
The fourth super conference is going to be the hardest to come together. The Big East has 9 teams, the ACC has 12. If we assume the SEC steals at least 1 ACC team and the Big Ten steals at least one Big East team, there are 3 leftovers there. And then there are the Kansas schools, which are need to land somewhere.
August 14th, 2011 at 10:01 PM ^
Don't forget that Conf USA is still out there, has some legit Div I schools including schools in the deep south football states of Florida & Lousiana (Cent Fla & Tulane) and Texas (including Houston, & SMU). I could see Conf USA prostituting themselves to the remaining Big XII schools even if UT leaves so that OU, OkSt, Kan, KSt grabs the Conf USA schools under the "Big XII" banner, keeps their auto-bid in the BCS (which would likely form the basis of autobids in a national playoff down the road), and actually set themselves up as a damn good basketball conference (think Kansas, OU, Memphis as a top tier with a second tier of Houston, OkSt, KSt, Tulane-- not half bad) that would probably get 3-6 bids each year.
At the end of the day, you'd have 5 superconferences:
Big Ten
SEC
Pac 10
Big XII
ACC/Big East merger
in a 12 team playoff, that allows for 7 at-large bids (enough for 1 additional each for the superconferences and 2 throwaways to your BYU / ND / Mtn West / MAC / Sun Belt 1-yr wonders)
August 15th, 2011 at 4:41 AM ^
I have to think that the Pac-12 would swoop in and take the Oklahoma schools before anyone else could act and then try and use them to bring Texas in, so it's hard to imagine C-USA landing anything more than a Kansas school or Baylor (Iowa State being a lock for the MAC).
This would change the face of college football so dramatically that it's tough to even think about.
August 14th, 2011 at 7:28 PM ^
Have fun in the BXII!
[drives away in limo with champagne and strippers]
August 14th, 2011 at 9:16 PM ^
August 14th, 2011 at 10:28 PM ^
I know it was only rumored, but can you imagine what would happen if Pryor squealed to the NCAA? The warming afterglow would keep us happy and fed for months.
*monocles
August 14th, 2011 at 8:21 PM ^
I respectfully disagree. This does not foreclose A&M going to the SEC. (1) 11 of 12 SEC presidents were present - unclear who was not and what the vote breakdown was. (2) Unclear for the reason in refusing to extend membership to A&M; if it is based on not wanting A&M, I will retract my statement. If however, it is based on not having a 14th team, that's a different story. It makes more sense for the SEC to have another team lined up before extending membership to a 13th team. SEC doesn't want to be like the MAC, with the MAC East teams not all playing each other since the addition of Temple.
August 14th, 2011 at 8:41 PM ^
The 14th team...
That's the problem. The SEC West can expand westward without the risk of losing many of their regional recruits to the new member (in this case A&M). The new SEC East school (member #14) would be someone some team(s) already share a home recruiting ground with. They can't expand east to the Bahamas. The SEC East will be resistant to adding A&M unless the concomitant 14th team comes from N.C. or further north. My guess is that is why A&M was not invited.
August 14th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
Or move a team from the SEC West to the SEC East, and add another team to the West.
Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville are viable SEC East teams that have been floated out there, too. Although, I have heard that South Carolina and Kentucky may object to their rivals joining the SEC. The additions of Clemson, Florida State and Louisville arguably do not add much, as the media markets have already been established in South Carolina, Florida, and Kentucky.
The interesting option I heard on ESPN Sportscenter Sunday on the radio earlier was adding Virginia Tech. Based on the relative proximity to D.C. and the expansion into the Virginia/D.C. media market, might make sense. Also would add credibility for academics, instead of having Vanderbilt as the sole academically sound school (would be three with Texas A&M, too).
What are your thoughts on Clemson, Florida State, Louisville or Virginia Tech?
August 14th, 2011 at 8:23 PM ^
I love it!
I am pretty surprised that A&M didnt scout the SEC before putting this out there. They now have lost a lot of credibility, and basically burned bridges in the Big 12. Ugly.
August 14th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^
The legal issues likely arose after this all came out, and this meeting allows the SEC to establish a legal stance of not tampering.